Draft law allowing to change the government during martial law submitted to the Rada

25 June 14:20

MPs from different factions have submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada that allows changing the composition of the government even during martial law. This was reported by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, according to [Kommersant]

According to him, the current Article 10 of the Law “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” prohibits the change of the Cabinet of Ministers during the war. That is why parliamentarians initiated its change – to legally unblock the possibility of resignation or appointment of a new government.

“I am absolutely convinced that before any personnel changes, it is necessary to change Article 10 and remove the Cabinet of Ministers from the list of restrictions. Our staff from the Presidential Administration cannot do this on their own, so my colleagues and I submitted the draft law,” Zheleznyak wrote on his Telegram channel.

Are there any plans to change the prime minister in the near future?

Zheleznyak emphasized that as of now, he does not confirm that a vote to change the government will be held before July 15. According to him, no official dates have been announced yet – the factions were “asked just in case.”

However, he acknowledged that the plans are to hold the process as soon as possible, especially after the NABU announced suspicion to one of the deputy prime ministers.

“I do not confirm as of now that it will happen before July 15. No one has ever announced the date before – we just asked just in case. But I wrote that the plan was to do it as soon as possible. The case of the NABU serving the Deputy Prime Minister with a suspicion accelerated this process,” the MP said.

What does the new bill propose?

The MPs propose not only to abolish the ban on changing the government during the war, but also to return to the Rules of Procedure clear rules for dismissal and appointment of Cabinet members that were removed during Yanukovych’s presidency.

Among the key provisions:

A proposal to the President for the Prime Minister is signed by members of a coalition of parliamentary factions.
Motivation letters and a program of activities are to be attached to the proposal for the appointment of the Prime Minister and ministers.
The candidate for the post of Prime Minister or Minister meets with them on the proposal of one or more factions.
Members of the CMU (except for the Ministry of Defense, etc.) are nominated by the Prime Minister in accordance with proposals made by a coalition of parliamentary factions in the Verkhovna Rada.
The resignation of the CMU is accompanied by reports on the implementation of the Government’s program, budget execution, and implementation of national programs.
The resignation of the Prime Minister takes place after receiving the opinion of the Budget Committee and the proposals of the Accounting Chamber.
The President is given 15 days to nominate the Prime Minister after receiving the coalition’s proposals.
When appointing the members of the CMU, the right to ask questions to each member of the CMU is granted.
At the request of at least two factions (groups), voting may be carried out on individual members of the CMU – individually, not as a package for all of them.
The VRU may consider extraordinary reports of the Prosecutor General, the SBI, the SPFU and the AMCU.
Failure to recognize the work as satisfactory for 2 consecutive years is grounds for consideration of a motion of no confidence.
The provision on the impossibility of terminating the powers of the Cabinet of Ministers during martial law is excluded.

What’s next

The draft law submitted by the inter-factional group of MPs still has to be considered by the relevant committee and voted on in the Rada.

If the document is approved, it will open up a legal opportunity to restart the government before the end of martial law.

Earlier, Honcharenko said that the Servant of the People faction has begun preparations for an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which may take place on July 7 or 8.

According to him, the main purpose of the meeting is to replace the current Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal before the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine.

However, an attempt to gather MPs for an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on July 7-8 to vote on the possible resignation of the Prime Minister has so far failed.

Who could become the new prime minister?

According to Oleksiy Honcharenko, the main candidate for the post of Prime Minister is Yulia Svyrydenko, who currently holds the position of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

“It is most likely that Yulia Svyrydenko will become the new prime minister. And she will already go to the conference in Rome,” the MP said.

This information is confirmed by [Komersant] sources, who were the first to report on the upcoming personnel changes. Svyrydenko’s candidacy is being actively discussed in government circles, and, according to the newspaper’s sources, she is the one who enjoys the support of the Presidential Office.

Other potential contenders, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, are no longer seen as real participants in the “race for the premiership,” the sources said.

As reported by [Kommersant] the President’s Office has already decided to dismiss the current Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and reformat the entire government.

At a meeting with journalists, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied rumors of the possible resignation of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Дзвенислава Карплюк

Editor